


first christmas, i gave you my heart

by indemnis



Series: between the aisles (single dads kihyuk) [2]
Category: K-pop, Monsta X (Band)
Genre: Adopted Children, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Christmas Presents, Domestic Fluff, Family Fluff, Fluff, Gay Parents, Gen, Husbands, Kid Changkyun, M/M, Teen Wonho, kid Jooheon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-24
Updated: 2019-12-24
Packaged: 2021-02-25 20:55:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,718
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21931822
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/indemnis/pseuds/indemnis
Summary: Kihyun and Minhyuk spend their first Christmas as a family and there are a lot of overwhelming emotions.
Relationships: Lee Minhyuk/Yoo Kihyun
Series: between the aisles (single dads kihyuk) [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1579408
Comments: 8
Kudos: 97





	first christmas, i gave you my heart

**Author's Note:**

> note: mild sexual references, a bit of making out in the middle

The pinnacle of parenthood must be this: holding a box of shopping as one attempts to shrink into something like a piece of paper in a sea of bodies in the train.

Kihyun is suddenly very resentful of the fact that he doesn’t own a car, and is starkly reminded of why he hates being anywhere outside of his home studio. 

Jooheon and Changkyun are hugging onto his calves. No one in this packed train has a mind to give up their seats to the two children, and Kihyun is counting down the stops in his mind (only because he can’t crane his neck back enough to look at the display).

“Papa!” Changkyun calls out, and he has his arms outstretched, wanting to be carried. His eyes are glistening with hope, and Jooheon is but a small mushed up ball somewhere near his feet making disgruntled sounds.

Kihyun would absolutely _love_ to carry Changkyun at the moment, but there is literally a lady’s chest pressed up against his back, and he is in a situation where he barely has room to breathe. 

“I’m sorry, sweetie. How about when we get off the train?” His gaze is pleading, and Changkyun seems to understand. “OK, Papa.” He nods aggressively, like he has a point to make, and Kihyun’s heart swells. He’s taught him well. 

They stand around for another 3 minutes or so, swaying as best as the negligible distance from the person next to him allows, and he’s had to hiss as Jooheon twice in the same 3 minutes to stop picking things off the floor.

The announcement rings. “The next stop is: Express Bus Terminal Station. Express Bus Terminal Station.”

The sigh of relief that leaves Kihyun is visible in every possible way, and he goes on his tippy toes to draw out a mental route towards the exit doors, locating every small crevice between passengers that he and his two children may squeeze through. 

The train comes to a jolting halt, and Jooheon scrambles to grab at his jeans. 

“Come on, boys, let’s go.”

With the two boys tugging at the end of his t-shirt, Kihyun manages to mutter his ‘sorry’s and ‘excuse me’s as he follows his mental route out of the car. 

Kihyun looks on both of his sides to make sure that the kids have tagged along, and haven’t been swallowed by the sea of humans behind him. To his relief, the both of them still have the fabric of his shirt bunched up in their tiny fists, and they all seem to have aged a few more years as compared to when they were before they got on. 

He breathes in a few more times and moves the box in front of his older son. “Joo?”

His reaction is in a pair of shiny eyes, and Kihyun knows he’s raised Jooheon basically ever since he was an infant, but he thinks he could never stop being infatuated with the magic in his eyes. He wishes so desperately to keep that spark in him for as long as he can manage, though he, more than anyone else, is aware that real life blunts even the sharpest and shiniest of tools. Still, though, he hopes.

“Could you please hold onto this box for me?” He asks with the greatest smile on his face, and Jooheon seems more than eager to take on what appears to be an important mission. After all, if Papa had held onto this for the entire gruelling trip, it must surely be important!

He nods and takes it over, the big box just a little under half of his size, and he manages to position it so that he can see where he’s going over the box. 

Kihyun ruffles his hair and tells him that he’s a big boy now, at which Jooheon beams, so proud, so bright, and Kihyun laughs. 

Without being asked to, he scoops Changkyun up into his arms, the younger boy excited to suddenly be so high up, and he raises his arms up in victory. Kihyun chuckles, scratching him gently on the back of his neck, and he reminds Jooheon to keep close. 

His phone rings when they’ve passed the gates, and he wriggles the phone out of his pocket single-handedly.

“‘Ello.”

“Babe, where are you?” Minhyuk’s voice is deep and even a little groggy, and Kihyun shakes his head at that, his hair rustling over the speaker. 

“At the train station. Are you finally awake now, you sleepyhead?”

“Mmm,” is the only response he gets, and Kihyun heads towards the exit slowly with Jooheon in tow, struggling with the box, but still doing a good and stable job so far. He thinks Minhyuk goes back to sleep, but there is a sudden pulse of energy two seconds later.

“Did you go shopping with the kids? You could have just made them nap with me.”

Kihyun laughs, his amusement apparent. “You sleep like a log, Min. You’d have slept through a self-improvised musical with kitchen supplies.”

Minhyuk smacks his lips together. “Our kids sound like such musically-talented kids. I wonder who they got it from.”

Kihyun laughs again, exasperated at the man who is a fool for his children. Kihyun won’t lie and say that it’s not one of the reasons that make him so terribly endearing. 

Changkyun is bouncing up and down in Kihyun’s grip. “Is Daddy?” He grabs none-too-gently at the neck of Kihyun’s t-shirt, and his Papa nods. 

“Talk Daddy!” He cheers, and Kihyun whispers “our son wants to talk to you” before passing the phone to him.

“Hi Daddy!” Both of Changkyun’s tiny hands wrap around the body of the phone, and Kihyun uses the opportunity to check that Jooheon is still next to him. He’s taking careful steps and making sure that the box doesn’t topple, and he pulls a face at every close call that Kihyun finds adorable. 

“My son! Did you have fun?” Minhyuk switches to Dad-voice immediately, the coddling kind that Kihyun thinks is hilarious but is guilty of also doing. 

“Yes! Fun! Papa shopping! Fun!” Changkyun screeches into the phone, and Kihyun silently prays for Minhyuk’s eardrums. “That sounds fun, buddy! Can you tell me what Papa bought?” He says the next line in a small voice, but Kihyun can still hear him talk from the proximity.

“Oi, Lee Minhyuk, that’s cheating. No trying to get the kid to spill the beans!” He says into the phone, and Changkyun looks at Kihyun with wide eyes, trying to comprehend what is going on. 

He hears an indignant _hmph_ on the other end, but giving up is not a phrase found in Minhyuk’s dictionary. “Tell me, baby, what did Papa buy for Christmas?”

His desperate need to one-up Kihyun for whatever reason is unknown, but Kihyun somehow enjoys the hide-and-seek, often teasing Minhyuk with a hint and then leaving it completely. 

Changkyun doesn’t seem to understand the concept of Christmas and/or gifts, so when Minhyuk asks, Changkyun can only remember a particular word from the previous response, and replies with ‘beans!’ with the greatest amount of elation he can muster. Kihyun breaks into throes of laughter, and Minhyuk seems like he’s at a loss of words. 

“Alright Changkyun, we’ll see Daddy soon. Can I please have the phone back?” Kihyun stares at the child with an expectant gaze, and the kid nods. Instead of putting it into Kihyun’s hand, he presses the screen against his cheek and helps him hold the phone (which is great — he could really use the spare hand to prop Changkyun further up in his grip).

“Hey sweetie.”

“Yes baby.”

“Can you please bring out the meat from the freezer?”

Minhyuk pretends to yawn and he hears a grunt from the other end, like he’s just rolled over on the bed. “Come on, lazy bones, be good. I have three children; I don’t need a fourth right now.”

A loud sound that must be the springs in their bed. “Just right now? Which means we are open for discussion for more kids?”

“Minhyuk.”

“Okay, okay, I got it. I’ll bring the meat out. There’s — oh wait, I think that’s Hoseok.” Some rustling on the phone and Minhyuk shouting “Hoseok! Is that you!” and some muted reply later, Minhyuk is back. 

“Yeap, that’s Hoseok. I think he went shopping too.”

Kihyun glances at Jooheon who is still doing a great job, but Changkyun, on the other hand, seems to not be doing so well, frowning at his strained arms. The phone slides down Kihyun’s cheek slowly. 

“Hey, baby, give Papa the phone. I’ll hold it.”

The child shakes his head furiously, and Kihyun knows he’s obstinate, quite unlike Minhyuk or Kihyun, but he lets him. He does place his hand behind Changkyun’s small ones as a form of support, and Changkyun seems happy to allow it. 

“Silly boy. We could have gone together in your car.”

Minhyuk laughs. “Think he was trying to surprise you too with your gift.”

“Silly, nonetheless.” Kihyun is momentarily distracted as Jooheon grunts absentmindedly, and he is quick to react. “Hey love, I’ll see you at home. Baby Jooheon needs my help.”

Minhyuk squeals at the mention of his kid and Kihyun shakes his head. “Okay, I’ll see you later then. Love you.”

“Love you too, babe. See you.”

Changkyun understands ‘see you’ well enough to pull the phone away from Kihyun’s face and he mutters something Kihyun can’t hear into the receiver before pressing on the red button to hang up on the call. 

“Hey Jooheon, buddy, can I help you there?” He stops in his tracks and bends down to look at his older child, at which the brightness in Jooheon’s wide eyes falter for a second. “It’s okay, Papa, Jooheon can do it!”

Kihyun smiles. “I know. You’re so capable, Jooheonnie. But part of being capable means being able to ask for help when you need it. Would you like some help, Jooheonnie?”

The boy hesitates for a few seconds, seemingly considering the offer, and realising that his arms are indeed really sore, nods his head slowly. Kihyun breaks into a smile again, and squats down to face him at eye level. He places Changkyun back onto the ground and holds the smaller child by his shoulders. 

“Changkyun, can you do Papa a favour and hold Jooheonnie hyung’s hand instead? Papa wants to carry the box for Jooheonnie hyung, is that okay?”

Changkyun never says no at the opportunity to be close to his Honey hyung, so he nods excitedly and skips out of his father’s hold quickly, rushing over to Jooheon’s side. 

“Good boy,” Kihyun says, reaching out to ruffle his hair before opening his arms up as an offer to take the box over. Jooheon passes it readily, but he still looks a little disappointed at the fact that he wasn’t able to carry it all the way back home. 

Kihyun holds the box in one arm and pulls Jooheon in for a kiss on his cheek. “Thank you for being such great help, Assistant Honey!”

Jooheon becomes a little shy upon hearing his Papa’s words, but the pride radiates through him in waves and Kihyun finds him so impossibly adorable. So he pinches his cheek again just because, and stands back up, offering his spare hand to Jooheon. 

“I’ll hold your hand and you hold Changkyun’s, okay?”

Jooheon nods. “Okay!” he promises, and they swing their arms back and forth as they make their way back to Seorae Maeul. 

*****

The keypad to the door does a melodic sound and the lock is opened, the two children throwing themselves forward into the house first, their tiny feet pattering on the wooden floor. 

Unsurprisingly, the one man who is a fool for his kids comes running over to meet them halfway, his hair a mess atop his head, and Kihyun can’t help but laugh at him. He’s dressed down in his loungewear, and Kihyun doesn’t have the heart to say anything about it since he’s been pulling several all-nighters with a few clients based overseas. Time zones are no fun, as Kihyun is made aware of, seeing as he’s been sleeping alone in their big empty bed for some nights now. 

Minhyuk opens his arms wide and the two children find their way to him, almost toppling him over with their sheer force, and Minhyuk holds the both of them in his arms, snuggling and tickling them in their necks with the tip of his nose. 

Hoseok walks out from the corridor and sees Kihyun standing there holding a box, just watching lovingly at his kids playing with his husband, and he chuckles. Jolted out of his reverie, Kihyun looks over to the source of the sound, and Hoseok is grinning widely. 

“Could have mistaken you for a statue if I wasn’t careful,” he jokes, finding his way to Kihyun and extending his arms out to take the box over. Kihyun passes it to him and pinches his cheek, at which Hoseok yelps in mock agony, and they laugh. Cheeky Hoseok, always giving his Appa crap for being so smitten with his family. 

(How can Kihyun help himself? He’s just so _happy_ that it feels so unbelievable, and there’s always a tinge of fear in him, wondering if these happy moments will leave as quickly as they came.)

Cheeky Hoseok makes a comeback as he peers into the shopping box, trying to find out what his father had bought as Christmas gifts, and Kihyun is quick to react, stealing the box back.

“Lee Hoseok.”

“Yes?” Hoseok asks, eyelids flittering, playful gaze hidden as he looks like an absolute angel (and Kihyun thinks he just might be, though it’s a known fact that he harbours certain levels of bias when it comes to his children). 

Kihyun entirely forgets what he’s about to say, so he just walks away with the box in hand towards him and Minhyuk’s room. 

*****

Christmas Eve dinner is fairly uneventful, other than Minhyuk’s valiant attempt at cooking a dish and then proceeding to entirely ruin it, and Kihyun, as usual, has to clean up after him. 

(He makes up for it with tiny kisses as Kihyun mutters about having four children in this house while salvaging whatever is left of Minhyuk’s abomination of a dish. There were a lot of ‘I love you’s and ‘I’m sorry’s and ‘I’ll make it up to you tonight’s that don’t fail in painting a pretty pink blush over Kihyun’s neck.)

At dinner, Hoseok cuts up Changkyun’s food for him slowly, and has to remind him to eat slowly. Jooheon, on the other hand, is still struggling with chopsticks, so Kihyun is teaching him how to hold them properly, the child frowning as he places 100% of his attention on the cutlery, determined to master it. 

Minhyuk sighs as he takes a sip of his cola, and Kihyun looks over at him briefly. They share a quick glance, and Kihyun breaks into a smile that’s creeped onto his face that he doesn’t know how or why. He supposes it’s a little like Minhyuk’s self-introduction into his life, a bit of a bustling mess to begin with, and then he grows these vines, wrapped around Kihyun’s heart, and now it’s enshrouded in everything Minhyuk, the vines protecting him from outside dangers. 

Minhyuk seems to sense the nostalgia in Kihyun’s smile and he leans forward with his lips slightly protruded, and Kihyun chuckles exasperatedly before leaning in and kissing him. He sees Hoseok pull a face at the corner of his eye, but he doesn’t bother with him. 

Minhyuk looks pleased with himself after demanding a kiss from his husband, and returns to his original position. “It’s Christmas Eve, boys! You know what that means!”

Jooheon cheers, throwing his hands up in the air. He’s been through a few Christmases in the Yoo family and it’s always been a joyous occasion. Now that he has Daddy _and_ Changkyun here, that just means more gifts! Gifts are always a cause for celebration. 

Changkyun seems a little bewildered, and even though he’s had one Christmas with Minhyuk before joining the family, he was younger and generally confused about the concept of white and red and Santa?

Something about an old white man coming down a chimney they don’t have made everything very confusing, but a story is a story, and Minhyuk is a very good storyteller. 

Hoseok seems to sense Changkyun’s confusion on the topic. “Jooheonnie, why not you tell Changkyunnie what Christmas is?” He continues to slice Changkyun’s food into smaller pieces, and Jooheon sits up straight, ready to share his understanding of the holiday. 

“So, Changkyunnie, Santa is a grandpa who makes things for kids. He lives in somewhere cold.”

“The North Pole,” Hoseok chimes in, at which Changkyun spins around to look at his oldest brother, and then back at Jooheon. 

“He comes to our houses on Christmas Eve to give us the things, but only for good kids. Naughty kids don’t get presents!” 

Changkyun’s eyes turn wide at this. “Naughty?”

Jooheon nods. “Yeah. Like when you don’t listen to Daddy or Papa, or when you are mean to someone else, or when you say a bad word…” he whispers the end of that sentence, and Minhyuk can’t help but laugh. 

“Grandpa Santa knows… and if he knows you’re naughty, you don’t get presents! So you must be good, okay, Changkyunnie?”

The younger child almost looks concerned. “Changkyunnie good?” He turns around to look at Hoseok, and then imploringly at his parents, seeking some form of affirmation, and Kihyun doesn’t know to laugh or to cry. He is such a hilarious child, sometimes. 

“I’m no Santa, but I’m sure Changkyun has been a good boy. We will only know tomorrow morning after Santa has come and left.” Minhyuk says with a wagging finger, and Changkyun’s wide eyes grow wider. 

“Can we see Santa?” Jooheon waves his hands around excitedly, and Kihyun laughs. 

“I mean, he’s quite mysterious, but I’m sure we can try. How about we make some cookies after dinner and leave them out for Santa, and maybe he’ll leave you with many many presents?”

Despite being the most confused one out of the lot, Changkyun seems to be entirely invested in this ridiculous tale and nods aggressively, chewing a lot louder and quicker now.

Minhyuk just laughs, and Hoseok pats him on his head, reminding him to eat slower so that he doesn’t choke.

*****

Baking is as much of a mess as Kihyun had imagined, and the kids have flour everywhere. The chocolate chip cookies they (mostly Kihyun) made looks good, though, and the children have had half a cookie each, both agreeing that this is good enough for Santa.

He chases them away and gets Minhyuk to give them showers and change them into their pyjamas while he cleans up the kitchen. 

Halfway through wiping down the oven, a pair of warm arms find themselves around Kihyun’s torso, and he cranes his neck back to look at Minhyuk. The honey dripping in his gaze may very well melt him into a puddle on the spot, but he contains himself. 

“Cleaned the kids up?” he asks in a soft voice, and the hold around him tightens. “Mmm, Hoseok is making them brush their teeth now,” Minhyuk replies in a whisper, and closes his eyes, leaning his head against the back of Kihyun’s neck. 

Kihyun continues to wipe down the oven and they stay like that in silence, Minhyuk clutching onto him like a koala as Kihyun cleans.

“Thank you,” Minhyuk says suddenly, his voice so soft and his warm breath making the hair on Kihyun’s neck stand on their ends. He prints a small kiss on his skin, and Kihyun shudders.

“Thank you? What for?” He runs the washcloth into the crevices and pulls it out to find it coated with gunk. 

“Just. For being here, for letting me fall in love with you.” He holds him close to his chest, and Kihyun can almost feel the thumping of his racing heart on his back. 

“You’re silly. I didn’t exactly put myself out there asking to be loved.” His fingers are nifty, but his heart is pounding furiously. It could be years and decades and he thinks he’d never stop feeling this way for Minhyuk. 

“Really? It seemed that way to me. When I first met you, I thought to myself: this is stupid, Minhyuk, no one falls in love with anyone on first sight. But you were like my saviour, from the crisis that was milk powder selection.”

Kihyun chuckles, but doesn’t comment. 

“But it felt like that. Like you just existed, and then I felt like I couldn’t do anything else other than fall in love with you.” 

Kihyun feels like his heart might just stop, especially since Minhyuk is far from the kind to say such mushy things.

“It felt… right, you know. It didn’t feel like crazy infatuation, like _oh my god, he’s so_ _hot_ — though you are, very much are. Point is.” Kihyun chuckles again. “It felt like I didn’t have much choice other than being next to you, than just falling for you, like it was natural, like it was what it was supposed to be.”

It’s a suspended monologue, and Kihyun knows Minhyuk enough to know that he has more to say. 

“Christmas has always been a bit of a bummer for me. I don’t know if I remember many memorable Christmases, probably because a good number of them were spent with me being hella drunk and then being hauled home by my complaining friends.”

He kisses Kihyun on the shell of his ear and watches as it turns pink, smiling as it does. “Last Christmas was fun with Changkyun, probably one of the best ones, but it felt like something was still missing.”

Kihyun holds his breath as Minhyuk kisses him on his jawline. 

“You. Us. This family. And I’ve never been happier, Ki, I just really don’t know how to properly express it, and I’m sorry for that.” Kihyun places the washcloth on the oven surface and places his hands on the arms around him. 

“I’m always afraid of jinxing it, like if I talked about how happy I am, that it’ll disappear from me. It doesn’t feel real, being here, having those lovely kids, and calling you mine. You’re the best fricking thing to have happened to me, and I’m terrified of losing any bit of it.”

Kihyun wonders if he and Minhyuk have grown to be more similar to each other, as these thoughts have dominated his mind way too many times to be healthy, but there is some relief in hearing it in his words, at the fact that Minhyuk shares his concerns and worries. 

“But I don’t want to be afraid anymore. I want everyone to know that I’m so unbelievably happy and that I’m so proud that I have our family, and that you, Yoo Kihyun, are mine, mine, mine. I want them to know, because it makes me so happy, and I’m so thankful for you. Always.”

Kihyun has to inhale and exhale a few more times to make sense of everything he’s just said, and he wants to elaborate on it, but he feels like nothing he says now will top whatever Minhyuk just said, so he just smiles and leans back into his hug. 

“You took everything I wanted to say out of my mouth.” Kihyun says quietly, and Minhyuk rubs his thumb over Kihyun’s knuckles, holding him like he’s afraid he’ll fly away, and Kihyun allows himself to be settled and anchored to wherever Minhyuk is. 

“There are more things I can think of teasing out of your mouth.” His voice becomes a little lower now, and Kihyun feels goosebumps on his arm. Minhyuk turns him around in his grip and without a warning, holds Kihyun’s face in his hands and kisses him. 

Messy, hot and wet, Kihyun kisses Minhyuk back as he throws his arms over his shoulders and around his neck, pulling him closer to himself and traces the lines in Minhyuk’s lips with his tongue, eating and chewing on them whole. 

He’s been deprived of Minhyuk for way too long, considering his husband’s hectic and irregular work schedule, and he tastes the chocolate on his tongue, letting himself be swept away. 

Minhyuk presses himself against him entirely and kisses him like he means it, holding Kihyun together like he would break, only Kihyun would be the last person in the universe to shatter. Minhyuk seriously considers Kihyun bulletproof, a sturdy support that would only grow stronger in the face of adversity.

There is a throat clearing somewhere, and Minhyuk has every mind to ignore it. No surprise as to who that is, Minhyuk continues to bite on Kihyun’s lips, a little less ferocious this time, slightly lazy. Kihyun is not having any of it, though, and he gives him a last peck on the lips before pushing him away, and Minhyuk whines deep in his chest. 

“Be good, Min.” Kihyun warns, hiking up a single brow, and Minhyuk whines even louder. 

“Hello, Dads. Do you guys mind not eating each other’s faces for the time being and getting ready?” Hoseok looks so done, and while it’s not the first time he has witnessed his parents’ outward display of affection, he thinks there is a time and place for everything, and making out in front of the oven instead of behind closed doors seems terribly unnecessary. 

Neither of them seem embarrassed at being caught red-handed by their teenage son (perhaps because of the frequency of them getting caught) and Kihyun picks up the washcloth from the oven and chucks it into the basin. 

“Got it, Seok. Thanks buddy.”

And then he grabs Minhyuk by the hand and drags him back into their room, Hoseok shaking his head behind their backs.

*****

Changkyun and Jooheon are so tired and sleepy, the younger boy struggling to keep his heavy eyelids open, but he’s persistent — he must know what’s up with this mysterious white man who leaves them presents under the tree!

Jooheon is keeping himself occupied with his plushies, but Hoseok can tell that he’s getting lethargic as well. Hoseok frowns and has every mind to read them both bedtime stories and tuck them into bed, when his phone chimes. 

_Good to go._

Hoseok sighs in relief. Stuffing his phone back into his pocket, he clambers to the space between the boys’ beds. “Hey,” he whispers wide-eyed, and Changkyun seems to regain some energy at Hoseok’s animated movements. “I think I hear Santa downstairs… Shall we go down and take a peek?”

Now, _that_ has gotten all of Changkyun’s attention, the younger boy’s eyes shooting wide open and he bounces on his bed, waving his arms in the air in elation. Jooheon throws his plushies to the side almost immediately, and puts out a hand for Hoseok to hold. 

The teenager chuckles and holds both of their hands, leading them out of the room. He tiptoes, and reminds the boys that they can only see Santa from a distance, and they can’t be loud or noisy, or Santa will get startled and he’ll leave without putting his presents down. 

The boys nod in agreement and promise to be quiet. Creeping out of their room and standing at the end of the corridor, they see a figure by the Christmas tree. The orange light from the candle they’ve left out baths the living room in a cosy warm tone, and the fire flickers from time to time. The figure is tall, large, and he’s wearing a red coat, and has a hat on him with a white bobble at the end. 

Why, he looks exactly like the Santa pictures he’s seen in his picture book! Jooheon is so excited and is about to exclaim on the resemblance, but Hoseok manages to catch him in time and reminds him again to keep quiet. 

The fairy lights by the TV console shine in the dimly-lit room, and Changkyun thinks Santa stands there for a second to appreciate how pretty they look. A heavy-looking burlap sack sits at his feet, and Changkyun points at it. Jooheon’s gaze travels to the sack as well, and he is trying so hard to contain himself at the moment. The presents! The presents! Jooheonnie must have been a good boy this year!

Santa moves slowly and quietly, and the boys barely dare to even breathe loudly, Changkyun’s grip on Hoseok’s hand tightening whenever Santa puts something under the Christmas tree. That looks like a lot of presents — Changkyun wonders how many of those are his. 

Halfway through placing the presents, Santa seems to be wiping the perspiration from his brow, and his hat falls from his head. A mop of dark brown hair shows, quite unlike the white beard he’s wearing on his chin. 

Flustered, Santa picks up the hat from the ground and puts it on quickly, and Hoseok really tries his best to not snicker. Thankfully, the kids don’t seem to find it strange, and are still watching Santa place the presents underneath the tree with wonder dancing in their eyes. 

Finally, the last present is placed, and Santa leans back to appreciate his masterpiece. The kids are jumping about in glee, their feet making soft sounds on the floorboards. A sudden glimmer in Santa’s pants, the kids are bewildered as their eyes are tracking Santa’s every movement. 

Hiding away from the children, Santa pulls out something from his pocket and blue light washes over his face. He looks at it quickly and puts it away.

_Don’t forget the cookies._

At the reminder, Santa pretends like he’s stretching his back, and finds the plate of cookies and a glass of milk and claps his hands together in wonderment. He reaches out to grab a cookie and munches on it happily. The kids are so glad that he’s enjoying the cookies that they (Kihyun) made that they completely forget the mysterious glistening light in Santa’s pocket. 

After downing the entire glass of milk and most of the cookies, Santa wipes off the crumbs on his suit, and Hoseok thinks he hears a ‘tsk’ in the corner somewhere. He giggles, and the kids look up at Hoseok curiously. He just shakes his head and looks back at where Santa is. 

Picking up his now empty burlap sack, Santa throws it over his shoulder and looks again at the presents under the tree, nodding his head in satisfaction. 

It’s Hoseok’s cue now. He grabs at the kids’ hands and they both look up at him again. He tells them that they shouldn’t open the presents now, only tomorrow morning, as that’s what Santa said to do.

The children agree to do so, and when they return to look at the living room, Santa is nowhere to be found. Jooheon gasps as Changkyun turns silent, truly bewildered. “He’s disappeared!” Jooheon finally exclaims, and Hoseok shrugs.

“He has many other kids to go to and give them their presents. We should go to bed and open the presents tomorrow morning!”

Changkyun may be confused, but he understands that the quicker he goes to bed, the quicker he’ll wake up to open his presents, so he races Jooheon back to their room and climbs into bed quickly. Hoseok trails behind them, shaking his head, and laughs as he tucks the children in, plopping kisses on their cheeks as he wishes them a goodnight. 

Minhyuk finds Kihyun in the kitchen and steps out of his Santa suit almost immediately, complaining about the scratchiness of the beard, and Kihyun laughs, peeling it off for him. 

“You did well,” he praises, tidying Minhyuk’s hair from how it was pressed down from the hat, “other than your hat falling, and Santa with a cellphone—”

“ _You’re_ the one who texted me, how can you say that about me!” He looks so wronged, pouting as he wails about the injustice, and Kihyun has to shush him so that he doesn’t wake the children up. 

“Well, you forgot about the cookies!” He retaliates, picking the Santa suit up from the ground, and Minhyuk laughs, pulling Kihyun in for a soft peck on the lips. 

“It was nice. The kids seemed to buy it.”

“They’re kids, of course they will.”

“Well, would you buy it too, if I told you I have another Santa suit in our room? That one has much, much less fabric.” Minhyuk says, his eyebrows hiding behind his short fringe, and Kihyun swallows, but pretends to be exasperated at his suggestion.

“I thought it was Christmas and you’re not supposed to be naughty?” He asks, but he’s losing his cool just thinking about Minhyuk in a skimpy Santa suit. 

“Well, it’s Christmas, and I’m your gift; I’ll put a bow on my head if you ask nicely.” He winks playfully, and Kihyun’s inhibitions are out of the window, growling as he grabs Minhyuk by the arm and tugs him back into their room. 

*****

Christmas morning is loud and squeals reverberate in the house. Kihyun, the early-riser, is naturally already awake and preparing breakfast.

The kids stumble out of their rooms and Hoseok is behind them with a grin on his face. They’re so excited they haven’t even washed up or brushed their teeth, but Kihyun will allow it; it’s Christmas after all. 

The family gathers around the Christmas tree and the children are bouncing where they are sitting. They look expectantly at Kihyun, who chuckles before nodding and giving them permission to open the presents. They cheer, and grab at the presents absentmindedly. 

“Check the tags, some of these are Hoseok hyung’s, Daddy’s and Papa’s,” Minhyuk comments, only realising that the kids can’t quite read yet. Hoseok laughs before taking the gifts over and putting aside the ones that aren’t for Changkyun and Jooheon. 

Minhyuk already has his phone ready to capture their reactions. Changkyun unwraps the presents carefully, cautious to not ruin the gift wrap, while Jooheon just goes straight in, the gift wrap turning into shreds. 

Changkyun shouts at the sight of a new model car, one of those fancy red ones that go _vroom vroom_ , and he rolls the wheels over the floorboard excitedly. 

Hoseok smiles the widest at this, so it’s no surprise who it’s from. Jooheon then opens up his one, and he finds a picture book filled with animals sorted into their different colours, and he jumps up and down in glee. Kihyun chuckles, shaking his head at how silly he looks, but he’s glad that he enjoys his present. 

As if they have a knack for the camera, the boys react extremely positively to the presents they’ve gotten — Kihyun got Changkyun a car, one of those that you sit in and you pedal around the house as if it were a bicycle, while Minhyuk one-upped him and got Jooheon an electronic one that runs on batteries, and Jooheon spends half an hour just driving around the house. 

Hoseok bought Jooheon a new plushie, and the boy had placed the bunny plushie next to him as his passenger in the racing car. Minhyuk makes the observation that he’s driving around the place as if he were the bunny’s Uber driver, which elicits endless laughter on Kihyun’s end. 

Minhyuk got Changkyun an Elsa toy, at which the child had screeched in excitement (he’s a big Frozen fan) and carried her everywhere he went. 

Hoseok then passes Kihyun and Minhyuk their gifts, looking a little embarrassed. Kihyun stares at the teenager for a while. “How did you even get the money to get gifts?”

Hoseok shrugs, scratching at the back of his neck. “Grandma gave me some funds, I saved some of my allowance, just here and there. It’s nothing much, but I hope you and Dad like it.”

Kihyun narrows his eyes and opens up a box filled with what appears to be handwritten and self-designed coupons? He picks one up and reads it slowly.

_Babysitting the kids so that Appa can go on a date with Dad_

_Use this coupon to redeem one (1) babysitting session of the children for the entire day. This coupon is only redeemable if the purpose of the session is for a date with Dad._

Kihyun frowns, feeling the tip of his nose sour, and then he reads a second one. 

_Buying the groceries_

_Use this coupon to redeem one (1) grocery purchase session._

He reads a few more of these and then tears start falling, Hoseok at a loss, and Minhyuk rushing to get him tissues. “Why are you crying?” Hoseok asks, his voice breaking, and he’s about to break into tears himself. 

“Oh, Hoseok…” Kihyun coos, and shuffles over to where Hoseok is, pulling him into a hug. “You silly child. You’re already doing so much in this house, you do it so well, too, and I’m so thankful to you as it is. This—”

Hoseok hugs his Appa back, and lets himself be coddled. “You and Dad have done so much more. It’s not easy for the both of you, and I just want to help.”

Kihyun only hugs him tighter. Hoseok is such a good kid, sometimes he wonders if he’s put on too much on the boy and forced him to be independent and mature, so much so that he acts much older than other kids of his age. 

Has Kihyun unknowingly deprived him of a much more carefree childhood, where he doesn’t need to have to take care of two younger children, and can be babied as much as he wishes to?

He feels the guilt pulling him down, and Minhyuk seems to know, as he seems to always do when it comes to Kihyun’s worries. Moving closer to the pair, Minhyuk throws his arms around the both of them, forming a three-way hug, and he buries his face in the space between them. 

They stay like that for ages, just whispering ‘thank you’s to each other huddled in a ball of warmth, the two younger children still whizzing around the living room in their cars, oblivious to the emotional moment the other part of their family is obviously having. 

Finally pulling away, Kihyun’s eyes are red, and Hoseok has tear streaks over his cheeks, and Minhyuk smiles, wiping his tears away for him. 

“You’re both silly. We’re a family, this is what we’re here for, yeah?”

Hoseok nods. “Yeah.”

Minhyuk smiles, moisture gathering in his eyes, but he puts it away quickly. “Open your gifts, Hoseok.”

Their teenage son nods as he pulls the gift wrap apart, and he blinks rapidly at what he’s looking at. “Dad…? This is…” 

Minhyuk cocks his head to the side. “What you deserve. Go on, open it.”

Hoseok is more careful with the present now, and when he finally pulls out a brand new phone that he’s been saving up for a while now, and Minhyuk is wearing the largest grin on his face.

“How did you know—”

“You’re my son, silly. How would I not know? You deserve it. Enjoy it.” He smiles so brightly, and Hoseok looks like he might cry again. “Thanks Dad, seriously, thank you.” He leans forward to hug his Dad, and Minhyuk pats him on his head. “You’re welcome, kid. Thank you for being here and being the best kid we could ever ask for.”

The ends of Hoseok’s lips pull down and Minhyuk ruffles his hair. “Silly boy,” he mutters again, and Hoseok flips the phone around in his hands. 

“What about mine?” Kihyun thrusts his gift into his hands, and Hoseok places the phone next to him, and opens Kihyun’s up. It’s not in a box, just in an envelope, and he opens the flap, stares at it for a good three seconds, and then closes it back up.

“Appa…”

“Merry Christmas?” He says, and Hoseok wails as he throws himself into Kihyun’s arms, his Appa laughing as he pats Hoseok on the back.

“I just thought cash was most practical since I didn’t really know what you wanted. You youngsters want something and then change your mind in the next month, so I’ll leave it to you to decide.”

“You make yourself out to be so old. ‘Youngsters’?” Minhyuk teases, and Kihyun punches him lightly in the arm. “Shut up, I’m his Appa, I’m allowed to say it.”

Hoseok is still a mess in his hold, and Kihyun chuckles, lets the boy come down from his emotional outburst slowly. 

“In return, I want you to promise to tell me if anything is wrong, or if anything becomes too much for you. We’re a family, like your Dad said, so we’re meant to help each other and bear each other’s burdens, okay?”

There is a muffled sound from where Hoseok is, so Kihyun just chuckles and holds his kid closer to himself. 

*****

“Your gift can’t seriously be you in a skimpy Santa suit, can it?” Kihyun asks when they’re back in their room and the kids are in bed, all tucked in with cheek pecks in place, completely worn out from the day’s events and the adrenaline from receiving presents. 

“You seemed to really enjoy it last night, though.” Minhyuk suggests, and Kihyun reaches out to push him away. Minhyuk doesn’t budge, just holds Kihyun tighter as he kisses him on his neck. “I’m joking.”

He moves away to open the bedside drawer and brings out a small box, and puts it in front of Kihyun. “Here.” He returns to hugging Kihyun, holding onto him like a koala would with a tree.

Kihyun has to shift in his grip to open the box, and when he does, his breath hitches. A small necklace lies in the middle of the box, and there is a middle-sized locket at the end. He props himself to sit up straight, and when he does, he finds a family picture of the five of them on the left, and on the right, an engraving that reads: _Thank you for letting me fall in love with you - Hyuk_

Kihyun runs the tip of his index finger over the picture, where the kids are squashed at the bottom of the frame, and they have the largest smiles on their faces. He remembers when the picture was taken as well — on their trip to Jeju, where Minhyuk insisted on taking a selfie, but they had struggled to fit all five faces into the frame, especially with the kids being so fidgety, but they managed in the end, and it turned out a little like a goofy candid photo. 

“Oh, Minhyuk.” He presses his lips together, and Minhyuk looks back at him with so much endearment in his eyes he feels himself combusting into several pieces at once. The vines around his heart that are Lee Minhyuk tighten their grip over him, and Kihyun has zero intention of escaping. 

Perhaps one day it’ll be squeezed so tightly it’ll explode, but Kihyun doesn’t run, lets himself fall victim in the hands of Minhyuk. 

“I love you, sweetie.” Minhyuk reaches forward to kiss him, and Kihyun kisses him back, thumb caressing his cheek gently. “Me too,” Kihyun whispers as he pulls away. 

“Shall I wear it for you?” Minhyuk suggests, and Kihyun nods, turning around so that his back faces Minhyuk. 

He pulls out the necklace from the box and places it around Kihyun’s neck, the locket cold and heavy pressed against his chest. Clasping the lock, Minhyuk makes a small sound indicating completion and Kihyun fiddles with the locket between his fingers. 

“Thank you, babe.” Kihyun kisses him again, and Minhyuk smiles so wide he might pull something. Kihyun moves away to pick up a box from under the bed, approximately the size of the box Minhyuk had gifted him. Minhyuk takes it over and has to sit up to open it, and when he does, he finds a silver bracelet with charms that honestly looks a little messy. 

“I brought the kids out shopping and they designed this with me. Look,” he moves closer to Minhyuk as he points out the different charms on them. “This one is a car and Jooheon added it because he likes cars. This one is a moon because Changkyun says it looks pretty. I also put all our initials on it here…” 

He runs his finger over the letters that reads ‘M. K. H. J. C’ and the moon and the car that Kihyun mentioned. “This rabbit is for Hoseok… It’s cute, right?”

Minhyuk doesn’t say anything, just nods, a little overwhelmed with emotions at the moment. “And here’s a daisy, the flower that we used at—”

“Our wedding.” Minhyuk is all choked up now, and he feels a force pressing against his chest, not unlike the way Kihyun makes him feel, like he’s breathless. “It’s beautiful.”

Kihyun seems so pleased with himself, and he puffs up his chest in pride. “I know. The kids did a great job too.”

And Minhyuk doesn’t know if he’s ever felt this way, like a sense of _wholeness_ , the concept of a family never striking him as something as important as it did now. He knows he’s talked to Kihyun about it and thanked him for it, but he thinks that perhaps the greatest gift he’s gotten this Christmas is this family he and Kihyun had built for them, and he wouldn’t trade it for anything else in the world. 

“Thank you, Ki.” He doesn’t know what else to say, the gratitude holding much, much more than just a meaningful bracelet gift, and Kihyun knows that better than anyone else. 

“You’re very welcome, my husband. Thank you for making our first Christmas as a family so amazing, and I hope we have many more Christmases to come, yeah?” His eyes are shining — brighter than the lights hung on the Christmas tree, brighter than the star atop the tree, and Minhyuk’s heart gives way. This Christmas and every coming Christmas, Minhyuk wouldn’t hesitate to give Kihyun his heart, over and over again. He contains himself and kisses Kihyun lightly on his lips. 

“Yeah.”

The smile he gets in return is blinding.

**Author's Note:**

> i know no one has been expecting this, neither have i, lol. a lot of crap has happened in every possible way in my life and in fandom and the mention of family makes me wanna d-word lol but i had fun writing this and i hope everyone enjoys themselves over the holidays with the people they love. 
> 
> hope you're all doing well; be good, stay safe.
> 
> twt: @jookination


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